Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Death, where is your sting?, January 24, 2005
This powerful album really stands out on account of the memorable songs like Will You, a brooding atmospheric number driven by screaming guitars, primal scream vocals and with catchy hooks aplenty. Tracks like I And Identity with its brilliant drum textures and Find My Way with its insistent bass take the listener even deeper into the land of metal.
Freedom Fighters with its tuneful chorus and Wildfire have a strong spiritual undertone. The latter has moments of prominent jungle drums and snatches of West Indian rhythm that make it stand out. It is quite awesome the way they celebrate the light by transcending the darker emotions, quite impressive.
A slower track, Asthma, is very beautiful with poetic lyrics sung with great intensity. The album concludes with the impressive Eternal, a more subdued but no less powerful number with a sense of restrained strength.
POD is an album of breathtaking instrumental and vocal variety, captivating tunes and lots of attitude. But what ultimately makes it special is the spirituality that infuses the music. If you like your rock heavy, passionate and metallic, you'll love Payable On Death. It's full of life!
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very solid, great feel to the music, January 16, 2005
I'd never been much of a fan of P.O.D.'s music (unless you count TCM's remix of "Boom") until I heard the different sound they presented on /Payable on Death/. This album has a solid, powerful feel to it. As others have mentioned here, there is a Rasta/Jamaican element to most of the music on the disc, and I personally do not find it to be a drawback. In fact, I like the mild mixing of this trait with what might otherwise have been fairly traditional-sounding rock. It adds a nice bit of flavor to the overall feel of the album.
I like all the tracks on this CD, except for "Asthma." For some reason, that song just doesn't speak to me the way the others do. I have my favorites, of course (Execute the Sounds, Revolution, etc.), but the entire album is a joy to listen to. My only complaint would be with the song "Eternal." It is a very good song, and has an excellent sound to it. The only problem is, it just doesn't fit with the rest of the album. You've got 11 tracks of driving, booming music, and then suddenly you come to this lengthy accoustic song that just doesn't have anything in common with the others. Eternal is a great song, and at least they had the good sense to put it at the end of the album and not in the middle... But like I said, it is a bit disruptive, especially if you just pop the CD in and play the tracks in random order.
Ultimately, though, this is a fantastic album. P.O.D. has certainly made a convert out of me with this latest effort on their part, and I recommend it to anyone who likes good rock. If you didn't like P.O.D. before, definitely give them a try with /Payable on Death/ and see how far they've come.
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 Stars is insufficient and completely inadequate for this., November 7, 2003
Here's a nice introduction to my review for a Payable on Death album: "OH DEAREST LORD!"I have never, in my life, been so amazed, so taken, so into an album. That said, I'll expand on my beliefs of why this is the closest to a basic life need that any CD will ever get for me. I've been a P.O.D. fan for over two years. Unlike so many of the songs out today, P.O.D. has lyrics that actually mean something. Lyrics far beyond "Sure wouldn't mind hittin THAT from the back...I like the way you do that right thurr". Believe it or not, there are people who make real music out there today, and P.O.D. is one of those rare bands. Not only that, they are talented beyond the way that any word in the dictionary could even begin to describe. When Marcos left/got kicked out/whatever, I won't lie - I was EXTREMELY disappointed. He was such a talented guitarist and contributed so much to P.O.D.'s sound as a whole. Still, I remained a Warrior. After hearing "Sleeping Awake", I was quite impressed by the new riffs Truby was bringing... it completely renovated P.O.D.'s style {in a good way, of course}. and I anticipated November 4th so much that I could barely sleep. Well, Tuesday was November 4th. I have never been so impressed in my life. This is the best album I have ever heard, and I'm not sure if they can top this one. Satellite was sheerly amazing, and this one makes Satellite look like nothing. This album has something for everyone. I'm good at emphasizing and seeing things through others' eyes, but one thing I can't envision is NOT liking this album. It's just too flawless. From the beginning verse of "Wildfire" to the beautiful instrumental "Eternal", P.O.D. doesn't miss a beat. Sonny's vocals in some songs are literally beautiful. Whenever he said "Oh, I'm not a SINGER", he must have been unaware of his own talents. His voice has developed and changed in so many ways, and he has such a presence in his songs. I think I would die of an adrenaline rush if I seen "Wildfire" performed live. Best songs: "Wildfire" and "Execute The Sounds". Worst songs: none. If I had one piece of advice to give to anyone who's like me, and appreciates real music instead of the garbage created by 50 Cent, Chingy and Britney Spears, it would be merely this: "BUY THIS ALBUM. IMMEDIATELY." DO IT.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
, recommendations and new releases on SoundUnwound 
